Fences enhance the value of a house or other structure by providing a level of privacy and security for its owners. Fences are constructed in a variety of styles and lengths and from a variety of materials. A simple "hurricane fence" is little more than a mesh of wire attached between several spaced posts. It provides virtually no privacy, but is effective in keeping animals and others either inside or outside of the fence.
Wood is another popular material for the construction of fences. Pine and cedar are particularly popular for residential use. A "picket fence" utilizes a series of spaced, vertical posts partially sunk into the soil. The posts can be ballasted with concrete. At least one horizontal cross-piece is then attached between two adjacent posts. Pickets are then vertically attached to the cross-pieces. The pickets can be spaced, placed immediately adjacent to each other, or placed "board-on-board." When the pickets are spaced, privacy is compromised, yet less material is needed. When pickets are placed immediately adjacent to each other, a higher level of privacy is achieved. However, over time, the wood pickets will shrink, creating increasingly larger seams between the pickets, and a loss of privacy. When the pickets are placed "board-on-board," each picket overlaps its adjacent picket. Thus, even when the wood pickets shrink with age, no seams occur between the pickets, and privacy is maintained.
Wood pickets come in a standard width. However, at the end of the fence, a unique width of picket may be needed to finish. For example, a forty foot fence would require 120 four inch pickets laid immediately adjacent to each other. If the fence is forty feet and one inch in length, a one inch space is left. Thus, a nonstandard picket can be fashioned at great cost, a standard picket can be split, or the space left open. None of these options are satisfying. In a board-on-board fence, this problem can be addressed by a skilled carpenter by varying the amount of overlap. Still, this skill is beyond many casual laborers.
The cost of a wood fence is based on several factors. The actual wood involves a sizable expenditure. Due to environmental regulations protecting owls and the like, large portions of forests in this country can no longer be harvested. Coupled with this diminishment of supply, demand for the remaining wood supply has been heightened by the rebuilding efforts occasioned by natural disasters, such as hurricanes and the like. As such, genuine shortages periodically exist making the costs of quality wood fencing out of reach for many. Moreover, once constructed, it is difficult to deconstruct a fence to salvage any of the pickets or cross-pieces used.
The cost of a wood fence also includes the cost of maintenance from deterioration. Most wood fences have a pleasing appearance when first constructed. Unless properly treated, rain, insects, and extreme temperatures will discolor and weaken the wood. After a meager few passing of seasons, the wood appears gray. A commercial treatment can be applied to restore the original color or stain the wood a different color. Other treatments deter termites and molds from attacking the fence. Still others can make the wood water resistant. Of course, such treatments only add to the overall cost of the fence on a periodic basis. A wood fence is also susceptible to loss from fire and vandalism. Wood has a lower shear strength than most metals and can splintered with a strong kick by a passing angry teenager. Wood also burns. Its flammability can even be increased by the commercial treatments mentioned above.
A need exists for a fence which combines the durability of a hurricane metal fence with the beauty and privacy afforded by a wood fence. Such a fence must be durable enough to withstand the abuse of weather, wind, and insects. Yet despite this durability, the fence should cost less to produce and construct than a wood fence. It should be only require the use of standard hardware and fasteners to build. Also, it should enable the builder to use adjustable width pickets to handle awkward situations. The new fence system should help conserve our natural lumber resources, by avoiding the use of wood. Most importantly, the new fence system should produce a beautiful fence of any style without needing constant refurbishing.